Rotary turret head for crimping tools



June 3', 1958 H. w. DEMLER ROTARY TURRET HEAD FOR CRIMPING TOOLS Fil ed March 15, 1955 INVENTOR- v Henru; w. Demlev United States Patent 2,837,135 v ROTARY TURRET HEAD FOR CRIMPING TOOLS Henry W. Demler, Lebanon, Pa., assignor to AMP Incorporated, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 15, 1955, Serial No. 494,497 2 Claims. (Cl. 153-1) This invenion relates to an improved head for tools used in crimping an electrical conductor onto a wire. To produce a secure, eflicient crimp of optimum physical and electrical characteristics it is necessary to use precision crimping tools which are engineered to attain the desired crimping force and shape.

These tools commonly include a crimping die and a corresponding die nest. Since anelectrical system will usually employ various wire sizes it is advantageous to use a tool that will accommodate a variety of such wire sizes.

Thus; the present invention deals with an improved head to be used in a crimping tool wherein the die nest can easily be adjusted to various positions for use in crimping wires of different sizes.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a multi-sized wire crimping tool having a minimum number of parts.

The device shown and described constitutes an improvement in certain respects over the crimping tool set forth in a co-pending application No. 389,983, filed November 5, 1953 now patent No. 2,762,414, issued Sept. 11, 1956.

Other important features and objects of the invention to which reference has not been made hereinabove will appear hereinafter when the following description and claims are considered with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 represents an end view of one embodiment of a portion of a crimping tool employing the present invention;

Figure 2 represents a sectional view of the subassembly shown in Figure 1 and taken along lines II--II of Figure Figure 3 is an exploded perspective view of the particular locking means used;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the relationship of parts when the die nest is changed; and

Figure 5 is a top view of the particular locking means employed.

Although the preferred embodiment as described herein is shown in conjunction with a hydraulic type hand tool, it will be obvious to those familiar with the subject that it'may be employed in a variety of cirmping tools of such types as hand-operated, mechanically-operated, automatically operated, etc.

The exemplary form shows a cap-member which threads at 12 into a tool body 14. A hydraulically operated die 16 is slidably mounted in the cap member. The particular type of tool shown and described forms the subject matter of application of Martin L. Klingler and William R. Evans, Serial No. 509,870, filed May 20, 1955 and assigned to the same assignee as the instant application.

As shown in Figure 1, the illustrative example includes a head member generally indicated at A pivotally mounted on pivot pin 17 which seats in cap 10. The

head member A is composed of a pair of parallel plates 18, 20 and a connecting top plate 22 to form a U-shaped member (see Figure 1). Aligned openings 24, 26 are provided, one in each of the respective plates. A pivot pin 28 is positioned so that each end is seated in one of the openings. The pivot pin 28 is provided with a knurled end 30 so that the pivot pin may be rotated when the end is turned.

The preferred embodiment as shown (see Figure 2), has a die nest wheel 31 fixed to pivot pin 28 by means of a set screw 32 which bottoms on a flat surface 33 on the pivot pin 28. The die nest wheel 31 shown in the drawings has four die nests 34 of graduated sizes positioned at intervals on the circumference of the on the wheel adjacent to each nest. The outer surfaces of the die nest wheel are milled in the area of each of the nests to a predetermined thickness. Also flat portions 36 are provided on the circumference of the die nest wheel on opposite sides of each of the nests. These flat portions engage a stop means generally indicated at B to prevent rotation of the die nest wheel 31.

The locking means B is comprised of a pair of generally rectangular members 38 and 40 (see Figure 3). The member 38 has a laterally extending flange portion 44 at one end and an actuating button 46 at the opposite end. A foot portion 42 depends from the flange 44. The other rectangular member 40 has a depending foot portion 48 at one end thereof. The member 40 seats against the member 38 in side by side relationship with the foot portion 48 in the vicinity of the actuating button 46 and the other end buttressing against the flange 44 (see Figures 3 and 5). A slot 50 in the first rectangular member 38 opposes a similar slot 52 in the second rectangular member 40 so that the slots 50, 52 complement each other seats in a recess 68 in the latch and the other end seats in an opening 70 in the locking means.

Operation-In the preferred embodiment as shown and described, the tool is assembled as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The proper size die nest 34 opposes the die member 16. The connector and wire are seated in the nest in crimping relationship. Then the die is forced toward the die nest to effect the crimping operation. After the crimp has been completed the die is released and the wire and connector are removed.

To change the size of the die nest to accommodate a different size wire and connector, the actuating button 46 is moved inwardly against the action of spring 66 (Figure 4). Foot portion 42 which prevents rotation of the nest wheel is thereby released and the nest wheel is moved to another position by rotating the knurled end 30 of pivot pin 28 thus rotating the pivot pin 28 and die nest wheel 31 attached thereto.

Assuming it is desired to rotate the nest wheel 90, the actuating button 46 is depressed and the wheel rotated until the arcuate circumference of segment 7 2' of the wheel 31 passes the foot member 42. Then the button 46 is.

released, allowing the foot portion 42 to return to the to tation-preventing position. Continued rotation of end 30 of pivot pin 28 in the same direction causes the nest wheel 31 to rotate and the edge 74 of the nest to cam against the second foot piece 48 thereby moving the,member 40 against the action of spring 54. ,After theseg: ment 72 has rotated past the secondfoot piece 481 the member 40 is returned to its original position by the action of spring 54. Thus the locking means again seats on fiat surface 36 to prevent rotation of the nest wheel; as shown in Figure 2.

Changes in construction will occur to those skilled in the art and various apparently different modifications and embodiments may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The matter set forth in the foregoing description and accompanying drawings is offered by way of illustration only. The actual scope of the invention is intended to be defined in the'following claims when viewed in their proper perspective against the prior art.

I claim:

1. A crimping device including a die assembly movable along a path, a die nest wheel, a plurality of spaced die nests carried by said die nest wheel each of said spaced die nests having a different angular position about said die nest wheel, a rotatable mounting for said die nest wheel whereby said dienest wheel can be turned into various angular positions with respect to the path of said die assembly to present various ones of said spaced die nests toward said path, flattened surfaces on the periphery of the diev n'est wheel, adjacent each of the spaced die nests, a releasable stop means comprised of a pair of rectangular members in side-by-side relationship, a foot portion depending from one end of each of the members, each foot portion resiliently biased into contact with the flattened surface adjacent one of the spaced dies to prevent rotation of 'the die nest wheel, said stop means arranged to hold said die nest wheel in said various angular positions with various ones 4 of said die neststoward said path and force-exerting means arranged to move said die assembly along said path.

2. A device for crimping an electrical connector onto a conductor including: a body member, a head releasably secured to the body member, a die member longitudinally movable within the body member, a cap member releasably secured to the;,body member by means of a resilient latch means, a die nest wheel rotatably mounted within-the cap member and having aplurality of spaced die nests of, various sizes on the periphery of the die nest wheel, flattened surfaces on the periphery of the die nest wheel, one on each side of each of the die nests, a releasablestop means positioned in the cap adjacent the periphery of the die nest wheel and in juxtaposition to v the latch means, said stop means comprised of a pair of rectangular members in side-byside relationship, each having a depending foot portion cooperable with one of the flattened surfaces on the die nestwheel to prevent rotation thereof, a spring, meansextending between thev latch means and one of the rectangular members urging the latch means into a closed position and the rectangular member into a rotation stopping position to prevent rotation of the die nest wheel in one direction and a second spring meansresiliently biasingtheother rectangular member into a position to'prevent rotational movement in the opposite direction. 1

References Cited'in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,244,426 Clark Oct. 23, 1917 1,715,496 Foure June 4, 1929 2,424,849 Rogofi et al July 29,- 1947 2,633,161 Schultz etal. Mar. 31, 1953 2,662,574 Franck Dec. 15, 1953 2,762,414 Damler Sept. 11, 1956 

